Free Web NovelChapter 473: Chapter 209: Consciousness Manipulation, Stopping at a Touch
If not for the three rings of light that had appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, evolving it from a large Qi Vortex into a small ocean, Chu Lingguang would have been completely unable to discern her cultivation level with his Perception Power alone. He would have needed to sense her Spiritual Sense Fluctuations to have any clue.
Furthermore, she was about the same age as him.
Roughly the same age as Du Juan, yet her power surpassed Du Juan’s. It was no exaggeration to call her one of heaven’s favored daughters.
’How could a person like that be a maidservant?’
’Could she have been sent by the Governor to sound me out?’
’That’s strange. My three senior martial brothers are all his subordinates. What could I possibly have to hide from him?’
Chu Lingguang couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
He kept Guo Wei’s words firmly in mind and pretended he hadn’t noticed a thing.
He simply sat there quietly, letting her scrutinize him.
Half an hour later.
"The Governor has arrived!"
The announcement came from the entrance.
Chu Lingguang quickly rose to his feet. A moment later, a slender man who looked like a scholar and was about the same age as Guo Wei appeared before him.
The man’s aura was serene, but his cultivation was unfathomably deep. He possessed a natural authority without any show of anger.
Chu Lingguang dared not be disrespectful. He bowed and said, "This junior, Chu Lingguang, greets the Governor."
He held scholarly honors, was a current candidate in the Provincial Examination, and had even been rewarded by the Court. Though he wasn’t an official graduate yet, his status was comparable to one, so he was not required to kneel before Zhang Tao.
"Chu Lingguang," Zhang Tao said with a smile, "over this past year, I’ve heard so much about you that my ears are about to fall off."
"And what is your impression of me, Your Excellency?" Chu Lingguang asked, remaining bowed.
"A hero in the making," Zhang Tao said in admiration.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency," Chu Lingguang said, full of gratitude.
"Your three senior martial brothers all serve under my command. Once you pass the examination and become a graduate, would you also consider staying at the Governor’s Mansion to work for me?" Zhang Tao gestured for Chu Lingguang to straighten up.
"It would be the honor of three lifetimes to be mentored by you, Your Excellency. As for whether I can pass the examination, I won’t know until it is over," Chu Lingguang replied. Guo Wei had coached him on how to answer this very question.
"I am asking you: *if* you pass, are you willing to stay and work for me?" Zhang Tao was not about to let Chu Lingguang off the hook. He placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed.
Chu Lingguang lowered his head and replied, "If the opportunity arises, I will leave the decision entirely in your hands, Your Excellency!"
This, too, was a line Guo Wei had instructed Chu Lingguang to use. No matter what, Zhang Tao was the Governor of the Qiling Governor’s Mansion and the direct superior of Yang Shaorong and his brothers. Chu Lingguang could not afford to offend him under any circumstances.
At the same time, he couldn’t make any firm promises to Zhang Tao; he had to leave himself some room to maneuver. This was because Mr. Du was another powerful figure in the background. Even though Chu Lingguang had repaid his debt of gratitude to Mr. Du, he couldn’t simply forget about him. That was why the opening phrase, "If the opportunity arises," was so crucial.
"Hahaha! Very well. I understand," Zhang Tao boomed, laughing, no longer making things difficult for Chu Lingguang.
"Your three senior martial brothers all work for my father," the maidservant who had been watching Chu Lingguang from the courtyard said with dissatisfaction. "Your eldest brother, Captain Yang, even married Commander Wei’s niece. If you stay, you’d be serving not only my father but also Commander Wei. Can’t you see that? Or do you look down on Commander Wei and my father?"
Her words caught Chu Lingguang completely off guard. He knew she was no ordinary person, but he had never imagined she was Zhang Tao’s daughter.
"Yan’Er, that’s enough," Zhang Tao chided. "Don’t be rude." Then, he turned to introduce her to Chu Lingguang. "This is my daughter, Zhang Yan. Like you, she is a candidate in the upcoming examination. If you wish to face Yan Zhen, you’ll have to get past her first."
"Forgive my ignorance. Please don’t take offense, my lady," Chu Lingguang said with an apologetic tone.
"Let’s make a deal," Zhang Yan said. "If I defeat you, then after you pass the examination, you will stay and work for my father, just like your three senior martial brothers. What do you say?"
"My lady, your strength is immeasurable. I fear I am no match for you," Chu Lingguang said with great trepidation.
"Then I’ll take that as you conceding defeat and agreeing to stay and work for my father," Zhang Yan said bluntly.
"That is not my decision to make. I must ask my master," Chu Lingguang said with a sigh.
Guo Wei had instructed him that if he ever ran into a question he didn’t know how to answer, he should use his master as a shield.
Since Zhang Yan refused to play by the rules, Chu Lingguang had no choice but to use Guo Wei as his shield.
"Your future career? Your master can make that decision for you?" Zhang Yan scoffed.
"My master’s kindness to me is as weighty as a mountain. He taught me all my Martial Arts. Everything I may accomplish in the future will be thanks to his years of guidance. If he tells me to go east, I would never dare to go west," Chu Lingguang said, his tone firm.
Zhang Yan’s words held a hint of disrespect toward Guo Wei.
"Yan’Er, I called him here so you two could get acquainted, not so you could decide his future for him. Stop this nonsense," Zhang Tao, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, quickly interjected.
"Yes, Father." Zhang Yan nodded. ’They all say he’s incredibly loyal and values his relationships, even giving the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid to his master. It seems those rumors are true. I’ll have to be more careful when discussing his master in the future.’
Zhang Yan had a gut feeling that if she had continued to speak ill of Guo Wei, Chu Lingguang might very well have attacked her.
"Chu Lingguang, I truly had no other motive for calling you here. I simply wanted you and my daughter to meet," Zhang Tao said, softening his tone.
"The young lady is a natural beauty, straightforward and outspoken, and possesses formidable Martial Arts. It is my great fortune to meet her today," Chu Lingguang said with a sincere expression.
"Then how strong do you think she is?" Zhang Tao asked.
"Stronger than me," Chu Lingguang said without a moment’s hesitation.
"You don’t really mean that." Zhang Tao saw right through him. His expression turned serious. "I only have this one daughter. She’s fiercely competitive by nature and never admits defeat to anyone. However, she was recently soundly beaten by Yan Zhen. When she learned of the agreement between you and him, she pestered me relentlessly to summon you here for a sparring match. Would you be willing?"
"Well..." Chu Lingguang hesitated.
’When Zhang Yan had demanded he promise to serve her father if he lost, he’d had a bad feeling. Now the Governor himself was asking. If he refused again, it would be a direct slight to Zhang Tao, which could negatively impact his three senior martial brothers.’
’Besides, Zhang Tao had specified it would just be a sparring match. To say he needed his master’s permission for something so minor would make him look like a fool. It seemed he had no way to refuse.’
After a moment of thought, Chu Lingguang said, "Your Excellency, the Martial Arts Examination is just around the corner. Both the young lady and I must conserve our strength; it’s not a good time for an all-out fight. However, if it’s just a friendly spar where we stop at the first touch, I believe I can give it a try."
(Thank you to Carefree Divine Venerable for the generous reward!)
